“Weren’t you going to take this box with you?” He motioned toward the coffee table with barely hidden amusement.
Exhaling impatiently, she nodded and moved toward it, but Dan had already picked up the big box. “I’ve got it,” he said, grinning.
Biting her lip, she turned and walked outside, then waited for him to pass her so she could lock the door behind them.
* * *
After helping Kinley carry in the supplies they’d brought, Dan hung around to assist with the frantic changes to the decor. Kinley reminded him that he had planned to write that afternoon, but he seemed in no hurry to return to his room. He appeared to enjoy spending time with her and Bonnie, getting a peek behind the scenes of the wedding preparations. He didn’t actually tie bows, laughingly claiming to be all thumbs when it came to that sort of thing, but he cut the required lengths of ribbon and then tucked silk lilies into the loops as Kinley directed, freeing Rhoda
and Bonnie to take care of the many other daily details of running the inn and preparing for a wedding.
Setting out cutesy little place cards in the holders Kinley had retrieved, Bonnie looked up to smile at Dan. “You never imagined you’d spend an hour today playing arts and crafts, did you?”
Handing Kinley the last length of measured ribbon, he smiled. “Well, no. But it’s been interesting. I can say now that I’ve seen the hard work that goes into a wedding.”
“You’ve only seen our part,” Bonnie corrected him. “The florist is making bouquets and arrangements, the baker will have many hours invested in decorating the wedding cake and the groom’s cake, the caterer has been preparing food for tonight and will provide the meal after the wedding tomorrow, the musicians are practicing, photographer and videographer are coordinating…”
Dan laughed and held up a hand to stop her. “Okay, I get the picture. Weddings are a hell of a lot of trouble and expense.”
“They can be,” Bonnie agreed, carefully referring to the seating chart as she moved to another table. Kinley knew her sister would check all the tables again when she’d set out all the place cards. Neither of them wanted to deal with Eva’s wrath if her painstakingly coordinated seating arrangements weren’t exactly as she had specified—even though, as she reiterated piously, the rehearsal dinner was up to the groom’s family to manage. “Personally, I’d like a small, simple ceremony if I ever get married. Just family and my closest friends.”
“I had two weddings like that,” Rhoda said with a reminiscent sigh, carrying an armload of snowy napkins into the room. “One on the beach, one in a mountain meadow. Back in the seventies. First marriage lasted ten years, the second one only two, but the weddings were beautiful.”
Dan met Kinley’s eyes with a grin. “And how do you feel about weddings?”
“We at Bride Mountain Inn strive to provide the most beautiful wedding experience any bride could hope for,” she recited almost word for word from their advertising materials. “From simple, intimate ceremonies to luxury affairs for up to 150 guests, we do our best to make a bride’s dream wedding come true.”
“I’ll be sure and quote you on that,” he said gravely.
“You do that.” She stood back from tying the last jaunty bow to run a critical eye around the room. “Everything’s looking good, Bonnie.”
“It looks as if it was decorated for a birthday party for a princess-obsessed five-year-old,” Rhoda muttered. “But it’s exactly what Miz Sossaman wants, I guess.”
“Rhoda,” Bonnie chided. She and Kinley both had to remind their employee frequently to be tactful and circumspect in front of guests. Rhoda should understand that included the writer who was here to profile the inn.
Kinley glanced at her watch. “I should get ready for my meeting. Cassie Drennan and her fiance are supposed to be here soon. Bonnie, you know where to find me if you need me. Dan—”
“I think I’ll walk down to the cafe to try that pie Mary bragged about yesterday, and then I’ll spend a couple hours writing in my room,” he said. “Can I bring you anything?”
“Thanks, but I’ll find something in the kitchen after my meeting.”
He nodded. “So I’ll look you up later.”
Not quite meeting his eyes, she nodded.
The office opened off the foyer, behind the reception desk. It wasn’t big, but by keeping the furnishings to a minimum they had made the most of the space. Instead of a desk, the room held a conference table surrounded by six chairs, and another chair or two could be pulled in if necessary. Kinley arranged a pitcher of ice water and a fresh carafe of coffee on a low credenza along with water glasses, coffee cups, sugar and cream, then took a seat at one end of the table. She propped her tablet computer in front of her and skimmed through the few notes she’d taken in a preliminary phone call with the future bride who was scheduled to arrive in ten minutes.
Cassie Drennan had sounded young and eager, excited to be making plans for a late-summer wedding. She’d explained she knew three months was a shorter planning period than many brides probably gave themselves, but her fiance had accepted a position in London and the window of opportunity for their wedding was narrow. She’d been thrilled that the requested August weekend was available for a wedding in the garden of the inn.
“Chris Thompson’s dad just dropped off the favors for tonight,” Bonnie said, entering the office with a large cardboard box. “Want to see? They’re nice.”
“Sure.”
The stainless steel wine bottle stoppers topped with stainless steel hearts would be laid at each place setting as mementoes of the rehearsal dinner. The bride and groom would have special gifts for each member of their wedding party, but these favors had been provided by the groom’s parents.
“They are nice,” Kinley said, hefting one of the plastic-bubble-wrapped stoppers in her hand. “I’m sure they’ll be appreciated.”
“The kids’ table will have little silver-plate buckets of fruit candies wrapped in purple cellophane. Rhoda’s setting those out now.”